Why is 1 inch chicken wire bad?

[Yukonchick]

Yes for sure. I got a good deal on some used chain link fence for my run but i've got it covered with chicken wire to keep out hawks.

 

[PartyOnARoost]

Thanks a lot guys for your help, today I just put 1/4 inch hardware cloth over the chicken wire so now it's double the protection hopefully all works out well

 

[1muttsfan]

I use 1 inch chicken wire, and i havent had any problems with it. No predators getting in.

Yet :/

 

[bruceha2000]

I use 1 inch chicken wire, and i havent had any problems with it. No predators getting in.

Have any TRIED? And if so, what type of predators?

After much consternation, I went with Amazon:
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]"Mat Midwest Air 308243B Tech 36-Inch-by-100-Foot 1/2-Inch Mesh 19-Gauge Galvanized Hardware Cloth" Tools & Home Improvement; $89.41[/FONT]

Close to half the price/ft compared to Lowes and shipping was free. Plus, 100' is a lot more adaptable than 25' unless you build your coop specifically with 25' wire in mind. I'm sure it would have been cost prohibitive without free shipping because it weighs a LOT. Ordered last Thursday night, arrived Monday. Interestingly, what showed up was labeled YardGuard.

Bruce

 

[KFox]

I had originally used 1" chicken wire. When I found this website, I read all the horror stories about predators and changed everything to hardware cloth.

Until last week, I hadn't ever had a predator. I've had chickens for over a year and had ducks prior to that for over 6 years. I wondered why everyone was so cautious. But...after watching a family of skunks try to break into my coops, I am SO happy that I used hardware cloth. A mom skunk and her two babies tried all three of my coops and were unable to get in. Since I've seen predators now, I've started upgrading even more! Locks on everything, hardware cloth inside so when the window is open, it is still closed, etc.

I think what you use depends not only on your environment, but how safe you feel leaving your chickens to whatever may be out there.

 

[puglady]

Yup, 1/2inch hardware cloth does the trick!

I agree however it is important as well how this is attached. I've heard horror stories of animals peeling this back because only staples were used to attach it to the wood coop. I have reinforced my staples with many washer/screw sets to hold down the edge every 6" or so. It doesn't do any good to get the hardwire cloth if the animals can then just push or pull it and rip out staples only.

 

[bruceha2000]

I agree however it is important as well how this is attached. I've heard horror stories of animals peeling this back because only staples were used to attach it to the wood coop. I have reinforced my staples with many washer/screw sets to hold down the edge every 6" or so. It doesn't do any good to get the hardwire cloth if the animals can then just push or pull it and rip out staples only.

People need to understand that there is a difference between staples and STAPLES.

A standard Arrow type staple gun staple will pull out easier than pulling a zipper. In fact, once you get started it is very much like a zipper. Pop, pop, pop. Gone. Do NOT use these other than to tack the hardware cloth in place so you can put in something suitable or if you are going to screw wood over the staple line. In the latter case, you don't need the staples anyway, save your money.

These are staple gun staples:


This is a Poultry staple:

Once you get that thing in it is NOT coming out.Believe me I have had to take a few out while building my coop. The only way they come out is to hammer a straight screwdriver under the staple (and if it is all the way in, that means digging wood) and levering it. They are at least 3 times the diameter of 19 gauge hardware cloth. No predator will ever pull these out. You will break the hardware cloth before they come out. There is no need to cover them with wood strips screwed in ( as you MUST if you use a staple gun). And they are a WHOLE lot cheaper than screws and washers. Or even screws and bottle caps.

 

[jpcode]

There is also the issue of the size of the whole. Mice can get through one inch chicken wire. I use thick 1 inch to make crawdad traps, there is the thin 1 inch wire and a much stronger thicker version of one inch that I use. I want the small crawdads to get out so it is perfect for that.

 

[Feanor]

It depends on a couple of factors, in my opinion. My coop is solid wood. But if you are asking about chicken wire for your run, that's different. In my opinion, if your run is relatively well guarded, i.e. in your backyard and you can keep an eye on it and its not a mile away next to a thick forest, I would say just use chicken wire for the run. Most predators will try their luck at night, when your girls should be locked safely inside their coop anyway, so so what if a coon gets in the run.

The only thing you have to worry about is dogs or brave coyotes trying to get em during the day. I've had a stray bird dog attack my run for half an hour and was barely able to dent the wire, didn't pull out the first staple, but I stapled every inch. I know many wiser more experienced BYCers will swear by hardware cloth and I'm not so arrogant as to disclaim them, but just saying in my humble experience, as long as they have a secure place to stay at night, their daytime run doesn't have to be coon/skunk/possum (or other nocturnal predator) proof, but if you do use chicken wire make sure you staple it down like crazy to reinforce the hold so you don't get the aforementioned zipper effect. But then again, it only takes one weak link...

but if dogs and such aren't a problem, I would save the money and go with cheap chicken wire run and spend the money you would otherwise use on hardware cloth to reinforce their coop to keep them extra safe at night when they are most vulnerable anyway.

 

[Yukonchick]

Well i had an interesting day yesterday. Puttering around the yard then decided to have a break and went in to grab a juice. when i came out there was a scraggly little black bear clawing at the chain link fence of my chicken run. i set two of our dogs on him, mom and daughter and they treed him but he didn't stay up there and they sure put the run on him. He took off like a bullet. i had time to run in the house and grab my camera a got a pic of him in the tree.LOL!

Our dogs are our best protectors. The pic below of the threedogs are brother and sister and mom but the brown female and her mom were the ones that chased the bear away.